No bang for buck

The scam sounds as cliché as they come: Pass along fake money at a vendor where the proceeds help the blind and visually impaired.

The scam sounds as cliché as they come: Pass along fake money at a vendor where the proceeds help the blind and visually impaired.

Except this was not a joke. And it actually happened.

And we all should be outraged by this selfish, cowardly act.

It was not just a fireworks stand for the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired that was scammed, there were at least seven other charities as well.

These booths are staffed by volunteers looking to help their nonprofit raise funds by selling safe and sane fireworks.

They are trained on various retail practices, including spotting counterfeit bills. But these crooks were good. Their scam was to buy just enough that they would need to use large bills. For example, they would purchase $54 worth of fireworks and pay with two $50 bills or buy $109 worth of goods and pay with two $100 bills.

In return they got a fairly large amount of change and goods too.

The bills that were passed at the Center for the Blind's booth in the Costco parking lot on Hammer Lane were so good that they were not recognized as bogus until run through a bank scanner.

All in all, the Center for the Blind lost $700 in cash and products.

You ask yourself why would someone want to hurt a nonprofit? Afterall, these organizations are trying to help those in our community who need help. But then again, criminals are not known for their conscience or random acts of kindness. They see an opportunity they can take advantage of and go for it.

The gall.

Even as this story came to light, one person showed up at the Blind Center's fireworks booth on Monday and tried to buy goods with a $50 bill that was rejected by the volunteer working the booth.

The would-be patron did not protest that the money was good or even ask for it back. Instead he just went away.

It is sad that this problem will not disappear as easily.

It is a sad reminder that crime tries to settle in when it sees an opportunity, no matter who it hurts.